In the course of treatment hospitals deal with many patients who are confined to their beds, for a multitude of reasons. Caring for said patients comes with a number of difficulties. Whether treating decubitus ulcers (bedsores), providing skin care, or simply changing the bedding, a patient's lack of mobility can make common tasks much more challenging. The difficulties of caring for bedridden patients increase when considering the prevalence of obesity. Something as simple as turning a person becomes taxing when working with bariatric patients. Bariatric care has become an ergonomic problem for health care providers, with many employees suffering back and neck injuries. This incurs extra costs for health care providers and insurance providers, as not only must workman's compensation be paid, but a replacement employee must also be brought in. In order to reduce the difficulty of dealing with bedridden patients, many inventions have been made to aid health care providers.
A common aid is a simple sling that is placed beneath a patient on their bed. The sling is used to help position a patient; a patient can be rolled on their left side or right side, after which the sling is wrapped around and secured to a stable surface, commonly the side rails of the bed. Such slings are beneficial as they hold a patient in place, allowing an attending health care worker to perform other tasks while the patient is turned. However, such slings have room for improvement. Since the sling wraps around the patient providing direct care is more difficult. For example, washing sores and applying creams is complicated by the sling, which often covers or prevents access to sores or other skin areas needing treatment. There exists a need for a patient handling device that allows a health care attendant to directly treat a patient.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a patient sling that can restrain a bedridden patient in a given position. It is a further object of the present invention to provide a patient sling that reduces opportunities for a health care attendant to suffer injury while caring for a patient. It is a further object of the present invention to allow a health care attendant to access and treat a patient while the patient is held in a turned position by the sling. It is a functional object of the present invention to allow a health care attendant to administer skin care, such as applying dressings and treating bedsores, through openings and gaps provided as part of the present invention.